A team of researchers from different institutions, coordinated by Stephen Giovannoni and Jing Sun, two experts in microbial ecology from Oregon State University, has discovered that microorganisms that are very abundant in the oceans produce large amounts of dimethyl sulfide, a volatile compound that contributes to regulating the planet's climate .
This gas is, in essence, responsible for the characteristic smell of the sea, and is a fundamental part of the sulfur cycle. During it, dimethyl sulfide oxidizes in the atmosphere, a process that ends up causing the formation of clouds.
In an article published in the journal Nature Microbiology , these scientists point out that bacteria of the genus Pelagibacter are responsible – half a million of them could be found in every teaspoon of seawater. They have one of the smallest known genomes and lack the genetic regulatory mechanisms present in most bacteria, but they are capable of metabolizing a compound called dimethylsulfoniumpropionate, which is produced by plankton. As a result, they release their dimethyl acid. The aerosols that this substance ends up forming reduce the amount of sunlight that bathes the surface of the oceans .
These experts have identified a hitherto unknown enzyme that plays a determining role in this phenomenon. Moreover, it appears that it is also present in many other species of marine bacteria, which is why, as indicated, the contribution of microorganisms in the production of this compound could have been underestimated.
